One Fort Myers grandmother is especially excited about the Winter Olympics on Friday.More >>

One Fort Myers grandmother is especially excited about the Winter Olympics on Friday.More >>

After back to back wins Saturday, the Fort Myers Little League All-Stars are 54 outs away from their ultimate goal: a state title.

This is far from unchartered territory for this team. They were in the same spot last year and came up just short, but the team has known for a while that they'd be back.

"We knew it from the beginning. We went to states last year, too, and we've been playing together for a while, so we just knew we were gonna get here again," said shortstop Emma Ludlam.

A message of unfinished business was the theme among all of the Fort Myers players, but there is one minor difference this time around that is rarely seen in Little League championships: The games will be played at home/

"It's the first time it's ever happened to me, and I've been doing this for over 10 years, so it's pretty rare," said manager Justin Roberts.

The team is grateful for that rarity. Big crowds have turned out for their first couple of games and the team has adopted a new mantra with their home field advantage: "We will protect our house."

"It's not very often that you get the states in a very small place like Fort Myers and now that it's here and we're in it, it's a very big deal, and so we want to really show that we can protect them and win stats this year," said catcher Haley Morales.

"It's very exciting because you know everyone out there has your back, and they're screaming and cheering, so it's just fun."

Whether this weekend ends with the team holding a trophy or not, the memories that this team has made will last a lifetime.

"It's amazing. I love these girls to death; they're like my best friends," said catcher Maddy Tejada.

"We've just known each other for a long time. This is one of the best groups of girls I've ever had and played with, and it's just a great time, and really I love this team so much, and I've had a great time playing with them."